The Monitor. [volume] (Woodstown, N.J.) 1884-1892, 1887-02-11
SOCIAL PURITY
concluded from first page

a less crime to destroy character than it i.
to pick pocket? Why is it that the laws
are such as have described Who woulc
have said it could be possible for man
hood S splendid strength and vigor-that
it would ever have entered into the outer
most convolution of his brain to fix the
age at ten years, when there is 50 much Of
fraaility. so much of weakness to mattel
against that weakness this great strength
and sturdiness and hold it to an equal ac
count? Who would have said antecedent
| ly, that when a man had been untrue tC
one woman all other women would not
have ostracized him? What explains tho
crueIty of men and the heartlessness OF
women in this overmasterine of woman :
purity and protection? Alas. the answer
is not far to seek. We have entailed on
us all the long past barbarisn. In that
early day the weakest went to the wall
the strongest prevailed. When Christ with
the halo ON his forehead came to look in
upon our darkness, the most that he could
do was to segregate upon man one woman
inside the enclosure of home, and say to
the man ''stand there by the door. Fight
for that home with voice and spear. De
fend its industrial interests, protect it's
property, and stand for it before the
State.
This supreme power which is all that
humanity would receive gave to man SUI
preme temptation. Every human being
will do little better for himself than for
the next one, and though | have not a sin
gle harsh word to say of men, | have this
to say, that it could only be expected; it is
undoubtedly what we should have done
had the tables been turned. | believe that
haol- in tla do rl--
ness. in the laws which they got up, which
seem to MS SO barbarouS, meant good to
women. but the law of one age is but the
embodiment of the next, aud as woman
differentiated that fine brain of hers, as
she enlarged that heart of hers to take the
Whole world in, as education came to her,
and opportunity, then these old laws be-
come like chains and padlocks on the wo-
men of to-day.
So we come before the manhood of to-
day. We believe we have only to ask him
about it. we believe we have only to get
him to think about it. When we wrote to
the Senators Of Illinois and asked them
if they would stand by our petition
for the protection of women. unanimously
came from the House and Senate the re-
Spouse 1--WE will stand by the bill for the
protection of women, in the Illinois Legis-
lature. This petition which 1 viii now
read is in operation i'll every State and
Territory in the Union except Colorado,
Massachusetts and Wisconsin 1t says
this:
Miss Willard here read the petition re-
ferred to, to the Senate and House of Rep
resentatyes of the State of Illinois, calling
attention to the dsgraceful laws on the
statute books in regard to women, and ask
ing that the age Of protection be raised to
eighteen years.
Now, am perfectly confident that ten
years from now somebody will stand here
on this PLATFORM and there will be jubilee
meeting. and it will be said that there is
not one of those disgraceful laws on the
statutes of America, Applause. and it
will be just because the people, the ON
nipotent, good natured careless-hearted
throng that had so much to think of, have
begun to til ink in ballots, have begun to
think in sentiment and prayers. have be-
gun TO converge and concentrate attention
until this grand result is wrought out.
[Applause.
Friends, when was abroad often said
to the German, Italian and French
women 81 think the men OF my own circle
in life, the men Of the church To which
belong in Evanston, think they are just
as good and pure as the women, and
those ladies used to look at me in the most
infdel manner and say, some sorrowfully,
some sarcastically, as they engaged in a
little aside TO one another Il Americana,
she means well; she spent her life with
books; she doesn't know the world But
what | said then ! say now. believe
American manhood, because most under
81 e III, a
masterful iii all the world because it has
most mastery of itself. And | take Cen
eral Grant as a splendid type Of American
manhood, and believe that when we shall
cease to hear so much about his battles,
when all those great events shall be after
all prospective of the past. we shall still
hear anecdotes of him like this: How in
the tent, when camped upon one Of the
fields, young Lieutenant came rushing in.
Mrs. Grant and Nellie had been there a
while before, but they We're absent Just
then. The young lieutenant looking
around, rubbing his hands in anticipation
Of the story he had to tell, said "Oh, | can
go on and tell this; the ladies are nor pres
ent. And the General ofour armies, with
the light of lightning in those flashing eyes
of his, so blue and brave and pure, said,
''Sir. it is true the ladies are not present,
but | call on you to remember that we are
all gentlemen. Applause.
And so, friends, believe that American
manhood has gained wonderful power,
beyond any other, to look upon the wo-
manhood fthe nation from many angles
of vision. We see it along the line of in
tellectuai cOmradeship: we see it along the
line of industrial endeayor. Welcome us to
help them out in all their grand philan-
tblopies and church work. and | believe it
won't be long, before the twentieth cen
tury swings upon the golden hinges of it's
open door, when men shall welcome us TO
a seat beside them on the throne of the
Government, Applause and they and
we shall make those laws which shall be
the final expression of two heads in the
council, two beside the hearth. And.
friends, | like to think that this great
labor movement has in it such splendid
hope for women. like to think that wo-
men are admitted to equal membership and
equal opportunity. | like to think that
they have received most kindly from me,
and promised to circulate this petition for
the protection OF women. 1t has gone in.
to the hands of a man who is my friend in
Chicago, who is the District Master Work
man of District "A, where the representa-
tiYes OF 30, 600 workmcn assemble once a
fortnight, ana this petition that | read
they are to sign. This lifts the yoke from
any class in any degree, still more lifts the
yoke from the women who stand still low
er than the men. At the very base of the
pyramid of society, farthest from the
apex, are the physically weak
Friends, these thoughts have come to
me as thoughts which | wish to share